2024 Best Value Education Schools in Washington
13
Ranked Colleges
728
Degrees Awarded
$20,700
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Education Schools in Washington” ranking.
General Education is the 41st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across Washington, there were 728 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,467 and $20,616 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools in Washington” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Education Schools in Washington” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Education Schools in Washington
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools in Washington.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for General Education in Washington
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Education Schools in Washington. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 150 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our washington education students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $12,017 for Washington Education students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at UW Seattle
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Whitworth University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Education Schools in Washington. Located in Spokane, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 22 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Whitworth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $24,492 for Washington Education students per year to attend Whitworth.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Whitworth
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Washington University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Washington list. Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 226 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at EWU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $12,335 for Washington Education students per year to attend Eastern Washington University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full EWU General Education Report
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Washington University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CWU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $16,514 for washington education students per year to attend CWU.
Read full report on General Education at Central Washington University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Gonzaga University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Education Schools in Washington. Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Spokane, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Gonzaga did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend Gonzaga is $34,451 for washington education students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Gonzaga General Education Report
Northwest University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Washington ranking. Kirkland, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our washington education students list, Northwest University has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwest University is $20,729 for washington education students.
Read full report on General Education at Northwest University
City University of Seattle did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Washington ranking, coming in at #7. CityU is a small school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 11 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
CityU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” list.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full City University of Seattle General Education Report
Seattle Pacific University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Washington list. SPU is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
SPU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” list. The estimated yearly cost for Seattle Pacific University is $26,714 for washington education students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Seattle Pacific University
With a ranking of #9, University of Washington - Bothell Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Washington list. UW Bothell is a public institution located in Bothell, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 97 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Bothell also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Bothell is $11,562 for washington education students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Education at University of Washington - Bothell Campus
Antioch University - Seattle did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Washington ranking, coming in at #10. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Antioch University - Seattle, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” ranking.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Antioch University - Seattle
University of Puget Sound ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Washington list. Located in Tacoma, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Puget Sound also made our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $33,562 for washington education students per year to attend Puget Sound.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Puget Sound General Education Report
University of Washington - Tacoma Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Washington ranking. UW Tacoma is a public institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Tacoma, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $9,469 for washington education students per year to attend University of Washington - Tacoma Campus.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus
Northwest University - College of Adult and Professional Studies ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Washington list. Northwest University - College of Adult and Professional Studies is a private not-for-profit institution located in Kirkland, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our washington education students list, Northwest University CAPS has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwest University - College of Adult and Professional Studies is $25,844 for washington education students.
Read full report on General Education at Northwest University CAPS
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.
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